This invention relates to silos having chutes for discharging the silage stored therein, and in particular a silo having a second chute placed adjacent to the conventional discharge and access chute, into which the silage is funneled.
Conventionally, silos are vertical cylindrical shaped storage units of cattle feed, often called silage. One portion of the outside wall generally has a series of openings arranged vertically and covered by doors, which in turn are covered by a chute. This chute is conventionally used for access to the interior of the silo as well as for discharging the silage thereform. The problem with using the chute for both purposes is that the discharge of silage causes a buildup of silage and dirt in the chute, with the ladder rungs disposed therein becoming sticky and gummy in hot weather, and frozen and slippery when cold. These conditions definitely make the use of the chute for access purposes objectionable. They can even make it difficult and dangerous to use.
To solve the problem of using the same chute for discharge and access, various prior inventions have attempted to divide the chute into a number of compartments. For instance, Price, U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,345 shows a silo chute divided into an access passage and a discharge passage. This results, assuming no special dimensions since none are disclosed therein, in a smaller-than-normal access passage or a larger-than-normal silo chute. Similarly, Price, U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,625 shows a separate discharge tube located within the access passage of the chute. Here again the access area of the chute is reduced by the addition of this discharge tube, unless the overall size of the chute is increased to a size larger than standard.
This invention relates to improvements over the inventions described above and to solutions to the problems raised thereby.